An airstrike in the countryside of Kobanî, a Kurdish city in Syria’s Aleppo province, has killed nine civilians from the same family, including seven children, according to the UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR).
SOHR reported that a Turkish warplane targeted a house between the villages of Kumçi and Berx Botan. The house belonged to a family engaged in agriculture. Two people were also injured in the attack and taken to a hospital for treatment.
The strike was carried out at around 12.40 am local time, according to the northern Syria-based Hawar News Agency (ANHA).
SOHR called on Turkey to cease its operations in Syria, stating, "Turkey's ongoing military operations in northern Syria are worsening the suffering of civilians."
Ankara has yet to comment on the incident.
The airstrike took place approximately 28 km south of Kobani. The area marked with a green box is Kumçi, while the one in red is Berx Botan. This region is also close to Karakozak, where contact lines between the SNA and SDF are located. (Google Maps)
The Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) Media Center released the names of the nine family members killed in the attack, all from the Ebdo family: Osman Berkel Ebdo (father), Xezal Osman Ebdo (mother), Axin Osman Ebdo, Dicle Osman Ebdo, Evin Osman Ebdo, Yaser Osman Ebdo, Saliha Osman Ebdo, Avesta Osman Ebdo.
The two injured individuals were identified as Ronida Osman Ebdo and Narin Osman Ebdo.
According to SOHR, at least 650 people have been killed since clashes between the Turkish-backed Syrian National Army (SNA) and the SDF escalated on Dec 12, following the fall of the Baath regime.
The casualties include 65 civilians (including eight women, nine children, and one journalist), 477 members of the Turkish-backed SNA, 104 fighters from SDF-affiliated military groups, and four Turkish soldiers.
DEM Party condemns the attack
The pro-Kurdish Peoples’ Equality and Democracy (DEM) Party strongly condemned the attack, linking it to recent political developments in Syria. In a written statement, the party highlighted that the strike came shortly after the SDF signed an agreement with the Syrian interim government, calling it a "deliberate act to escalate tensions and undermine hopes for peace."
“This massacre is a war crime that deeply wounds the conscience of humanity,” the statement reads. "Targeting civilians, including children and women, is a blatant violation of international law."
The party also pointed to the potential peace process in Turkey following the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) leader Abdullah Öcalan's call for the group's disarmament. "At a time when peace is being discussed, an entire family of nine, including seven children, was brutally killed. This is not just an attack; it is a calculated message aimed at extinguishing hopes for peace."
The party called on the Turkish government to clarify its stance on the killings and demanded an immediate independent international investigation to identify those responsible. (VC/VK)